Former patients are suing the largest healthcare system in Massachusetts after it emerged they may have been exposed to hepatitis and HIV at Salem Hospital.
A class action lawsuit was filed against Salem Hospital, Mass General Brigham – the hospital’s maternal care system – and ten unnamed employees, accusing them of negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Mass General Brigham, which runs 16 hospitals in Massachusetts, released a statement this week saying hundreds of patients may have been infected with HIV and hepatitis at the Salem hospital for nearly two years after workers failed to “follow best practices to follow’.
Affected patients say they were told that medical staff were reusing needles for intravenous drips instead of throwing them away and using new ones after each use, as is common practice.
In a statement from the health care system, the hospital said it was aware that exposure could have occurred in patients undergoing endoscopic procedures such as colonoscopies and gastrointestinal ultrasounds.
Nearly 450 patients at Salem Hospital in Massachusetts could have been exposed to HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C due to improper drug administration procedures
Above is Roxanne Ruppel, CEO of Salem Hospital. In March of this year, she became president and chief operating officer of Salem Hospital
The hospital says the practice was immediately corrected as soon as it was notified.
No infections linked to the exposure have been identified and the local Ministry of Health, which carried out an on-site inspection, said the risk of infection was ‘very low’.
A Salem Hospital spokesperson said all potentially exposed patients have been notified and 90 percent have been tested, scheduled to be tested or have declined free testing.
Mass General spokesperson Brigham said patients who have not been notified should not worry.
The lawsuit, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, was filed under the name Melinda Cashman, who lives in Amesbury, Massachusetts. The Boston Sphere reported.
According to the lawsuit, sometime between June 14, 2021 and April 19, 2023, Ms. Cashman underwent an endoscopy at Salem Hospital — a procedure in which a doctor inserts a tube-like instrument into the body to look inside.
She was recently informed of the error “and as a result will now have to undergo testing, screening and evaluation in an effort to determine whether or not she was infected, a process that could take months or even years,” the indictment said.
The lawsuit also alleges that Ms. Cashman and other affected patients “suffered permanent injuries, including additional testing and extreme anxiety and emotional distress and a decreased quality of life.”
Cashman also alleges that the hospital and its employees in the case, filed by Keches Law Group, failed to “take necessary and appropriate measures” to protect patients.
The lawsuit is a class action, meaning it is a legal proceeding in which a group of people with similar legal claims come together to sue another party – although Ms. Cashman is the only party named.
A jury trial has been demanded and the patients are seeking damages for the discomfort and injuries allegedly caused.
HIV and hepatitis are spread through contact with bodily fluids, and it is possible to contract them in a hospital setting if medical equipment is not properly cleaned or handled between patients.
Geoff Millar, 47, of Salem, a patient at Salem Hospital who received a letter, said the hospital blamed the needles because the IV drops had not been replaced.
He told the Gloucester times the drops were for anesthesia and the hospital believed they had been used on several patients.
“It was a little nerve-wracking,” he said.
Mr Millar has now been to hospital for a blood test and the results were negative for both infections.
However, health experts warn that it can take years for the symptoms of HIV and hepatitis to develop and appear.
Symptoms of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) start like a bad cold, but can go away for years.
The virus preys on cells in the body’s immune system, killing them and eventually causing death from complications related to a weakened immune system, such as cancer and infections.
The disease was once a death sentence, but can now be treated with medications to suppress the virus.
Infections with hepatitis B and C can cause liver inflammation, with symptoms such as jaundice – yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes – abdominal pain and swelling.
Doctors can treat this infection by administering medications that help suppress the infection.